Through the rain
by Lisa Echidna
Summary: In an alternative universe, things have taken a whole different turn than in the Archie comics universe. Kinda short, but I think the message gets though. It's a bit sentimental, though.


  
  
"Through the rain"  
  
  
This fanfic was written by Lisa Echidna, comments can be sent to sonicelisabet@hotmail.com  
This story is about a different sonic universe, where things have taken  
a whole different direction than in the archie universe.  
Sonic, and most of the other charas are (c) Archie comics and/or SEGA.  
  
  
  
  
The hedgehog sat on a hill and looked down over the city.  
The tree he was sitting under was huge, and left him totally dry  
even though the rain had been falling for several hours.  
It was in the evening a cold atumn day.  
He could see the dark parade going on down in the city.  
The city, known as Mobotropolis, was mourning.  
The whole planet was mourning.  
Except for him.  
Rain silently fell from the dark sky, as if it was crying as well.  
  
"Stranger." a voice said, breaking through the silence.  
The hedgehog turned around.  
Behind him was a rabbit girl, half cyborg.  
The hedgehog put himself in a defence stance.  
"Who are you?" he said, hardly expecting an answer.  
"Ah'm not dangerous, Ah can assure ya..." the rabbit girl said,  
ignoring his question.  
"What do you want?" the hedgehog said calmy,   
turning his eyes back on the sorrow parade down in the city.  
"Ah was jus' wonderin' why yah' aren't down in the city wit' the othuh'  
citzens of Mobotropolis."  
"I've got nothing to do with them."  
"Whut do ya mean? After whut've happened a week ago..."  
"I've got nothing to do with any of them.   
I don't have anything to do with their sorrow."  
"Aren't yuh sorry?"  
"...." the hedegehog didn't answer her question.  
"Ah'm Bunnie." the rabbit stretched out her hand, "Whut's your name?"  
"It doesn't matter." the hedgehog said, ignoring her gesture.  
"Mind if ah sit down?"  
Before the hedgehog could answer, Bunnie had sat down next to him.  
"Why aren't you down in the city?" he asked.  
Bunnie took a good moment before she answered.  
"Didn't know much abou' her ... Ah..."  
She shrugged.  
Several moments passed as the rain kept falling down.  
"Sonic." the hedgehog said.  
"Whut?" Bunnie replied, suprised.  
"The name's Sonic."  
"Oh... ok."  
The silence fell over the hill again.  
Bunnie noticed Sonic had closed his eyes as if he was remembering   
something.  
"Whut are ya thinkin' 'bout?"  
"Nothing."  
"Nuthin'?"  
"Yeah. Nothing."  
Bunnie kept quiet. She hoped he'd tell her something which could keep her   
mind away from the suffering city.  
"You see the building over there?" Sonic said, pointing at an old   
house nearby.  
"Yeah?"  
"It's where I grew up."  
"It looks a bit... scary."  
"Yup. That's what I and the other kids thought first too."  
"The other kids?"  
"Yeah. It used to be an orphanage."  
"So yuh're an orphan?"  
"Your braincells are working hard I see. Ofcourse I was an orphan!" Sonic  
sneered and rolled his eyes.  
"Um... s'cuse me but..."  
Bunnie paused for a second, trying not to be rude.   
"What happened to your parents?"  
Sonic snorted.  
"Ya want me to tell ya my life story?" he said in a sarcastic tone.  
Bunnie just shrugged.   
"Sorry... Ah was jus' wonderin'..."  
"You don't have to be sorry. It's enough the entire city is."  
"...." Bunnie had nothing to say.  
"I was told my parents died in a accident when I was two or  
something like that... My uncle Chuck took care of me at first.  
He was a nice old man... from what I could remember anyway."  
Bunnie stared at him.  
Sonic looked back.  
"Very well then. Don't look so suprised."  
Bunnie nodded again and Sonic continued his story.  
  
  
  
"So... My uncle took care of me. I lived at his house for four years...  
and then HE died. The only difference is, his death wasn't an accident.  
They told me it was an accident, but it wasn't.   
He was murdered... I don't know by who though, but I don't think they   
blew up our house just for fun..." Sonic sighed. "That's when I was sent  
to that god-awful orphanage... kids were bullying me around,   
the lady who owned the place, Mrs. Fetcher, hated me, and I just wanted to go  
to sleep to never wake up again...  
I hated it there. The only month on the whole year that I apreciated was July.  
Because we were sent to the country... and none of the kids payed attention to   
me so I could go anywhere I pleased... I hated to race the other children,  
but when I was there in the summer, I loved to race by myself..."  
Sonic coughed. Maybe he thought he had gone a bit off-hand.  
"Go on." Bunnie said, fascinated by Sonic's story.  
Sonic gained some self-confidence by this and he continued again:  
"Yeah... I hated to race with the others, but I loved to race by myself.  
I also dreamed of getting out of the orphanage one day...  
I knew it was an impossible dream to accomplish, but I couldn't help hoping.  
  
At the end of the summer was always the mobius festival day.  
One summer when I was 12, something unusual happened...  
They always picked out five kids to be in the contests on the mobius festival day.  
They had never picked me to be in any of the contests, so I didn't expect them to do it  
this time either. Suprisenly, Mrs. Fetcher announced that I was   
picked to be in the race contest.   
I wasn't thrilled by this. She knew I hated racing, and she knew I'd lose,   
but just seeing me stand there being laughed at must've been worth it in her opinion.  
So, the day of the festival, there I was. The other children giggled behind my back...  
In school when we raced against each other, I always came last place.  
Not that I was slow... no, I could run fast if I wanted to, but I hated contests.  
If I lost, then the contest would be over and out with, and if I won...   
well, I simply never let that happen.  
However... this time everyone would have an especially good laugh.  
Because this time, I'd make a fool out of my self, not just in front of the  
children of the orphanage, but on a big contest in front of a BIG crowd of people,   
and King Maximilliam and his daughter Princess Sally watching as well.  
  
I wasn't planning on winning even this time. I knew what awaited,  
and I could only simply accept it.  
But then I saw her... the princess. She looked at me, she looked right at ME...  
I felt like I wanted to apologize for being at her sight,   
I knew she probably wouldn't care if I lost or won, but the way she looked at me..."  
  
Sonic stopped again. He smiled at the memory.  
"Whut happened?" Bunnie asked.  
Sonic shook his head and went on again:  
  
"I walked nearer to get a closer look at her, but there were royal guards and stuff,  
so I didn't dare to go very far from the group... But she kept her eyes on me.  
And I kept my eyes on her. Our eyes met... and neither of us looked away for   
a good moment... Then the whistle was heard. I went to go to my start position   
in the race. As I walked towards the racing field,   
I could feel my heart getting lower and lower... I knew what would happen...  
I'd walk a few steps, then stand there as the others raced ahead.  
EVERYONE'd laugh. I felt was I would like to sink through the ground as I   
walked to my start position. Only seconds left til' the whistle would sound again,  
and the other racers would take off. I turned around and looked back at Princess Sally.  
She smiled at me. Not that kind of mean smile you see when you laugh at someone...  
But an approving smile, like 'You can do it!'.  
The king was busy talking to someone else, so he didn't watch us.  
The princess leaned foward and winked at me. I smiled and winked back.  
Then I turned around back to my start position again. I wasn't afraid.  
I could feel her eyes at my back, and I knew I couldn't let her down.  
The other kids giggled and whispered behind my back. 'Look, it's the comet',  
'wonder if he'll walk three or four steps before giving up?' 'He really stink',  
and stuff like that... But when the whistle sounded... I ran.  
I wasn't in the last place... heck, I wan't even in the sixth place!  
I was on first place in the race! I could hear the gasps of suprisement around me...  
...but I didn't care. I felt like I was the only one there. I ran because I felt like it.  
Not because of some stupid race.  
  
And before I knew it....  
  
  
...the race was over.  
  
I had won.  
I looked at the princess. She, along with the others, broke out in applouse.  
For once in my life, I had won a race.  
I had won... thanks to princess Sally Acorn."  
  
  
Sonic paused again. He looked down on the city.  
It was dark, and the funeral was over.   
But the cries hadn't stopped. As a matter of fact, they grew louder now.  
"Did ya see her again after the race?" Bunnie asked.  
Sonic shook his head.  
  
  
"Though I was the winner of the race, Mrs. Fetcher disliked me even more now than ever.  
I was sent back to the orphanage emediatly and I wasn't allowed to stay and watch   
the rest of the festival. But I didn't care.   
Princess Sally had noticed me, she had encouraged me.  
  
Next day, Mrs. Fetcher kept her eyes on me to get a good reason to punish me.  
I became very silent, and I really tried very hard not to do anything wrong.  
The other kids made my life a living hell. They teased me and hit me,   
and they knew I wouldn't fight back.  
After two weeks, I made a horrible mistake.  
I heard two guys talk about princess sally. They were joking about her,  
discussing what a lousy monarch she'd be, how stupid and stuffed-up she looked, etc.  
I couldn't help myself. I ran up to them, and I put up a good fight.  
Mrs. Fetcher 'happened' to catch us, she had been snooping around for   
a great opportunity like this, and now she'd got it.  
Before I knew it, I was sent to a military school to be 'taught some manners'.  
Military school was terrible. The children of the orphanage were angels in   
comparation of those who lived at the military school.  
You had to be tough there. You litterary had to fight back to survive.  
I hated it.   
When one year had passed, I escaped with two 'buddys' I had made there.  
We fought our way through life. We stole what we needed, and we weren't afraid to   
risk our lives for money. As you probably could tell,  
we became bounty hunters faster than you can say 'Sonic's a lame numbskull'."  
  
  
Bunnie looked at him as if she was gonna say something,   
but before she could speak, sonic answered her look:  
"I don't need compassion. I'm a stupid git, that's all."  
"You're not!" Bunnie burst out  
"And how d'ya know? You don't know me.   
Do you have any idea what happened on that military school?  
Do you have any idea what I had to do in order to survive!?"  
"No..." Bunnie said, a bit ashamed.  
"Well then..." Sonic snorted.  
  
  
"Bounty hunter wasn't well-paid. I simply took any job offered to me.  
I was one of the lowest in rank.  
On day we went out on a mission... I don't remember clearly what it was about...  
...something went far beyond wrong... so we had to escape.  
I ran... I ran so fast I could... and the others noticed.  
Suddenly things had changed.  
I wasn't the lowest anymore. Because I had a gift...   
...a gift which would bring in money if I used it right.  
I was pretty good at fighting too.  
If they didn't show me manners on Military school, then at least they showed  
me how to fight. And that's what I did.  
I could wipe out almost anything out of my way."  
  
Sonic snickered.  
  
"Then again... there was a backside of it too.  
I was sometimes ordered to... 'take people out'...  
And I couldn't say no... because I really needed money to survive.  
I was on a mission like that the next time I met her."  
  
Bunnie looked puzzled.  
"The princess?"  
Sonic nodded.  
"Exactly."  
  
"There was a guy who was rich... but he hadn't paid for six months.  
One month behind meant a warning. Two months late meant trouble.  
Three months late meant BIG trouble. And then go figure what six months meant...  
Me.  
I wasn't in a happy mood. I hated to to this kind of things,  
but I had to... how should I put this...  
I had to push others down in order to keep my head over the surface."  
  
Bunnie nodded. She understood.  
  
"Well..." Sonic swallowed. He didn't like the memory.   
"I was on my way to... ya know..."  
Sonic stammered as he uttered the last words in the sentence,   
and his eyes were shut tight. "But I couldn't...   
I was close to a nerveous breakdown that night... how old was I...  
...Fourteen? Fifteen? On my way there, I kinda lost it for a minute...  
I grabbed to the stonewall and slammed my fists against it.  
I felt terrible. I don't know for how long I had stood there...  
But when I turned around... there she was...  
And she looked at me.  
Her eyes were filled with sorrow.  
At first, I was sure she'd recognized me.  
Then I wasn't sure... She'd seen me once on the festival day   
two or three years ago... How could she possible remember me?  
But when she saw the expression of my face, she smiled and winked.  
Sure she remembered me.  
I didn't finish the job that night.  
We walked down the city silently. Then we started to talk..."  
  
"What did you talk about?" Bunnie asked.  
  
"Small things... Trivial things you don't apreciate alot...  
But it felt like we'd known each other for ever.  
I don't know why she recognized me... she also told me   
she couldn't take her eyes from me the very first time she saw me on the festival...  
And another thing... she said she would like to get away from Mobotropolis,  
that she didn't wish to be a princess at all.  
I tried to convince her that it was a lot better than being a bounty hunter,  
but she said that I at least had my freedom...  
At the end of the conversation, we both agreed that we just should   
leave Mobotropolis one day.  
I wished that night'd never end. Sadly, it did...  
I never found out why she had snuck out of the castle in the middle of the night...  
But I'm glad she did..."  
  
Sonic smiled. And for once, It wasn't one of those cold, sarcastic grins.  
Bunnie looked back. She had found out he was a bounty hunter, yet,   
she couldn't help liking him.  
He wasn't as rough and non-caring as it seemed.  
  
  
"She never snuck out from the castle in the middle of the night again...  
And If she did, she sure suceeded to keep out of my way, because I didn't see her  
again in many weeks... and when I saw her again... it was on the festival.  
I don't think she saw me from her throne, but I saw her, and that was enough for me."  
  
Sonic was silent for several moments.  
"Excuse me for askin' but..." Bunnie said, a little uncertain, "How did you react...  
...when she died?"  
Sonic sneered.  
"You already asked me that."  
"Yes, but you never answered."  
Sonic was quiet a few seconds before answering.  
"No."  
"No?"  
"I don't know quite how to explain this... but I've got a feeling she's happier now."  
  
Bunnie nodded. She looked down at the city again.  
"Youh've already told me most of yuh' life story, why not tell me how it ends?"  
"Because it ends right there."  
"Ah'm not convinced."  
Sonic sighed.  
"I was ordered to take her down."  
"Now, did yuh', or did yuh' not?"  
"My first thought was 'NO WAY!'... then I... I thought it over.. and..."  
"Well?"  
"I cared too much about her."  
Sonic let out a bitter laugh.  
"HAH! Listen to me... a bounty hunter... 'I CARED too much about her'!"  
Sonic's face became stern.  
"Too bad you can't care about someone in this world without losing her."  
He shook his head. "Someone else took care of it before I could."  
"But yuh decided to do it?"  
Sonic took some time before answering.  
"Yes... I decided to."  
"Why?"  
"I cared too much about her."  
Bunnie looked very confused.  
"Ah... Ah don't understand."  
"She was my only weakness. If I took her down, then I'd kill my fear."  
"But you'd also kill your humanity."  
"True."  
  
The clouds had darkened even more, and rain poured down.  
"It was over there." Sonic said, breaking the silence.  
"What?"  
Sonic pointed at a stonewall nearby.  
"She was... I mean, he finished her off over there."  
"He?"  
"Yeah,... I mean... whoever killed her."  
"Do you acctally know how it happened?"  
Sonic nodded.  
  
"I've... heard about it... she was... shot over there...  
The bullet hit her in the back...  
She... she tried to crawl away but he shot her again...  
...and again..." Sonic took a deap breath "And again... until..."  
  
Sonic turned his head and looked Bunnie straight in the eyes.  
"Go figure."  
Bunnie's eyes widened.  
"But her body was found in a park near the castle!"  
Sonic nodded.  
"He dragged her there."  
"Why?"  
"He was probably going to hide her, but was interrupted by someone."  
"someone...?"  
"Well..." Sonic sighed, "I'd better get going..."  
Bunnie looked at him.  
"Waita minute! Yuh can't jus' leave!"  
Sonic turned around. His face looked stern, yet, sad.  
"What more is there to tell?"  
"Ah know there's more."  
  
Silence.  
  
"You're right.... You're right. There is more."  
"well...?"  
Sonic shook his head.  
"Nothing for your pretty little ears."  
"Come on!"  
"Why d'ya want to know?!"  
"Because Ah don't believe ya are a bad bein'!"  
"HOW on earth do you know?!"  
"Sonic, Ah've ALWAYS known you!"  
  
  
Silence.  
  
  
"What do you mean?"  
"Ah was one o' the children of that orphanage.  
I wasn't a student on the military school, but I knew about   
things which happened when you were there.  
I remember the racing contest. I was there.   
I was the only one of the children who wasn't laughing."  
Sonic staggered back.  
"Th-that doesn't mean you know me now!"  
Bunnie took a step foward.  
"Ah was also sent out on the streets.  
Heck, ya think ah WANTED to look like this in the first place?!"  
Bunnie showed her cyborg arm and and glanced at her legs.  
"B-but..."  
"And most importanly, ah know who you are, Maurice!"  
Sonic stumbled back, as if someone had hit him.  
His eyes were wide open.  
  
Silence.  
  
"And ah know ya didn't kill her."  
  
Sonic looked down into the ground. He didn't say anything.  
His shoulders were trembling, as if he was fighting not to cry.  
Bunnie put her non-roboticized arm on his shoulder.  
"Sonic..." the begun, but Sonic pulled back, still staring into the ground.  
  
  
Rain.  
  
  
"Yes." Sonic finally said,  
"I didn't kill her."  
He sank down on his knees.  
"One of my best friends did."  
Bunnie sat down beside him.  
"Whut was his name, Sonic?"  
"His name... was Nack."  
  
  
Silence.  
  
  
"Nack." Bunnie silently said, looking at something in the distance.  
Sonic continued.  
"He shot her. He shot her before me. I had crawled up in the bushes a   
good distance away. He was standing only about a meter from her.  
  
If I had pulled the trigger a split-second sooner, then... then..."  
  
Sonic's shoulders trembled. He continued.   
  
"I had to run to her. I dropped my gun and bolted off.  
He was dragging her away. That creep, he wasn't even checking if she really was dead!  
I encountered him. He joked something about 'First come, first served',   
but I wasn't in the joking mood. I punched him in the face.  
He staggered back. Never thought I'd do something like that.  
He suddenly realized I was being serious. But before he had a chence to reach his gun,  
I had him pinned to the ground. That creep. That scum.  
I got 'im real scared. That pathetic wimp.  
When he got on his feet, he made a run for it.  
I didn't care.  
Because the princess wasn't dead.  
  
It didn't matter.  
  
She died moments later."  
  
Sonic was finished.   
Just then, lightning struck on a short distance away.  
Bunnie was scared. She looked at Sonic.  
He was standing on the same spot, as if he hadn't noticed the lighting...  
...and he probably hadn't.  
Sonic wasn't trembling anymore. His eyes were closed.  
His face didn't show any expression at all.  
When Bunnie called his name, he didn't react.  
She walked over to him, and touched his shoulder.  
  
Sonic turned his head towards her. His voice sounded perfectly normal.  
"Looks like I'm one of them now, eh?  
Bunnie didn't know what to say.  
"Bunnie," he continued, "I don't want to pretend anymore."  
"Sonic...?" Bunnie was worried. He was so calm. He scared her.  
"I'm going to take the fall."  
  
What happened next, suprised Bunnie even more.  
Sonic gave her a light embrace, and smiled.  
"Good bye, Bunnie. Thanks for being here. You made my last night worth living."  
Bunnie hadn't a chance to reply, because just after the sentence had left Sonic's lips, he sped off, and was gone.   
  
"His last night...?" Bunnie thought, sitting alone under the huge tree.  
Sonic had left so suddenly, but she knew she'd never see him again.  
  
By some reason, Sonic had decided not to die as the bounty hunter he'd become, but as Maurice, the one he truly was.   
Sonic hated to race against others, he had hated running for everyone else's cause. He was tired of running.   
But Sally was gone now, and he didn't have to run anymore.  
  
  
As the rain continued to pour down, Bunnie walked off at the distance, dissappearing into the endless shadows, just like Sonic had done.  
  
  
THE END.  
  
  
________________________________  
  
  
  
Well? What did you think? Comments, give me comments!  
sonicelisabet@hotmail.com  
  
  
  



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